Derrick Rose to See a Specialist for His Ailing Back

Derrick Rose is expected to see a back specialist today, as he continues to battle through pain. From the Chicago Tribune: “As Derrick Rose shuffled across the Bulls’ locker room before Sunday’s 95-91 loss to the Celtics, somebody remarked he looked like an old man. ‘I feel like one,’ Rose said with a tired smile. Rose, 23, missed his second straight game with lower back spasms and said he will see a specialist on Monday after the Bulls returned from their nine-game trip late Sunday. ‘It’s been hurting the whole trip,’ Rose said. ‘I just played through it. It tended to get worse after every game. I was really worried about it. But I’m trying to stay positive. I don’t know what the diagnosis is. I just know my back is not right.’ Rose said he doesn’t know what prompted the pain or exactly when it started. [...] ‘It just came from out of nowhere,’ Rose said. ‘That’s the scary thing about it. … I could barely walk (after New Orleans). It’s killing me not being able to play, especially this game, or when I do play my minutes are definitely down. Hopefully, I’ll get treatments and it calms down. If not, I’ll take my time.’ Rose, who also sat for five games with a sprained left big toe, now has missed seven games. That’s one more than in his first three seasons combined. Rose said he had a similar experience during his senior year at Simeon High School just before his team won its second straight state championship. ‘It could be (Monday) when I wake up and it feels good, because I remember in high school I didn’t get any treatment or anything,’ Rose said. ‘I just took a couple days off and I was able to play Downstate. And I didn’t feel it. Hopefully, it’s the same thing.’ Rose said it’s his decision on whether he plays or not, although it’s a collaborative affair with input from the training and medical staffs and management. ‘Nobody can tell me how I feel but myself,’ Rose said. ‘If I feel good, I’m going to try to go.’”